CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Having lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and now down their star running back and starting left tackle for possibly the rest of the season, the short-handed Vikings arrived at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday eager to prove with an upset win over the mighty Carolina Panthers that they still have plenty of talent and fight.
Thanks to a sack-happy defense and timely plays on special teams and offense, the Vikings stunned reigning league MVP Cam Newton and the Panthers with a 22-10 win, in the process making a convincing case that they're the team to beat in the NFC.
Newton, the once-in-a-generation dual-threat quarterback, completed his first nine passes against Mike Zimmer's defense for 133 yards. His first incompletion came more than 23 minutes into the game. But Newton would throw for just 129 yards the rest of the way, give away three interceptions and get sacked by the Vikings eight times.
The Vikings improved to 3-0 while the defending NFC champions fell to 1-2.
"There's a chance we could play them again someday, who knows?" Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "I told them, 'Let's get used to this now, let's not make this a one in a time kind of deal.' "
In the early going, though, it looked like the home team might run away with this one. But trailing 10-2 in the second quarter and not having much going offensively, the Vikings pulled within two points when cornerback Marcus Sherels swerved through traffic then sped down the left sideline to return a punt 54 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Blair Walsh missed the extra point, though, keeping the score at 10-8.
It was a team-record fourth career punt return for a TD for Sherels.
They would take their first lead on the first drive of the second half, going 79 yards on 10 plays. Both Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata rushed for big gains and Sam Bradford capped off the drive with a 15-yard touchdown to tight end Kyle Rudolph, who had a Panthers defender draped all over him while making the catch in the end zone. McKinnon, the third-year back, ran for a two-point conversion that made it 16-10.
Bradford, often under pressure, had just 26 passing yards on 11 first-half attempts. But he made some clutch throws in the second half and finished with 170 passing yards.
Early in the fourth quarter, Walsh kicked a 28-yard field goal to put the Vikings up by nine points. He was good again from 31 yards to put the game out of reach at 22-10.
The Panthers took a 3-0 lead on the game's opening drive after Newton found wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in a hole in zone coverage down the left sideline for a 31-yard pass play. On their next possession, they made it 10-0 when Newton rushed for a 3-yard touchdown two plays after a beautiful downfield throw to convert on 3rd and 12.
After two drives apiece, the Panthers had out-gained the Vikings 115 yards to nine.
The defense scored the first points for the Vikings, thanks to an assist from their special teams. Punter Jeff Locke pinned the Panthers inside their 5-yard line. Then defensive end Danielle Hunter buried Newton in the end zone for a safety that made it 10-2. Sunday was the third straight game with a sack for Hunter, a second-year defender.
The Vikings briefly knocked Newton out of the game in the second quarter when nose tackle Linval Joseph sacked the big quarterback. After sitting out one play, Newton returned to throw a touchdown pass to running back Fozzy Whittaker, who made safety Harrison Smith and outside linebacker Anthony Barr whiff on their tackle attempts.
Thankfully for the Vikings, a Panthers penalty whipped out the touchdown, sparing the two Pro Bowl defenders from making unwelcome cameos on the highlight shows.
That would be the closest the Panthers would get to the end zone the rest of the day.
The Vikings, who put starters Adrian Peterson and Matt Kalil on injured reserve days before the upset victory, lost left guard Alex Boone in the second quarter. Boone, the team's prized free-agent addition, was carted off with a hip injury and did not return. Zimmer said he would have an MRI tomorrow; left tackle Kalil is likely out for the season because of hip surgery.
